Structure having low acoustically-induced vibration response

• US 5,912,442 A
• Filed: 07/02/1997
• Issued: 06/15/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Original Assignee: TRW Limited (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Inventors: Nye, Theodore W., Baker, Jeffrey L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dang, Khanh
• Application Number:
  US08/887,500
• Time in Patent Office: 713 Days
• Field of Search: 181/284, 181/286, 181/288, 181/290, 181/292, 181/293, 181/294, 181/295
• US Class Current: 181/292
• CPC Class Codes: B64G 1/22 Parts of, or equipment specially adapted for fitting in or to, cosmonautic vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/172 using resonance effects

Abstract

A low vibroacoustic structure 10 according to the present invention comprises a first facesheet 12 defining a plurality of first holes 22, a second facesheet 16 defining a plurality of second holes 36, and a core 14. The first and second facesheets are attached to opposed surfaces of the core. The core defines a plurality of passages 32 in communication with the first and second holes to form channels 38 through the structure. The core is typically a honeycomb sheet. The first and second facesheets and the core are formed of lightweight materials such as lightweight metals, metal matrix composites, or polymer matrix composites. The perforated structure reduces structural acoustic coupling and acoustically induced vibration. The structure can be formed as a panel. The panel can be attached to support structures exposed to high-energy acoustic environments to reduce acoustically induced vibration of the structures.

Claims

1. A low vibroacoustic structure, comprising:

(a) a core including a first surface, a second surface opposite the first surface, and a honeycomb structure disposed between the first and second surfaces, said honeycomb structure forming a series of passages through the core and extending through the first and second surfaces;

(b) a first facesheet having a predetermined facial area on the first surface of the core, the first facesheet defining a plurality of first holes therethrough; and

(c) a second facesheet having a predetermined facial area on the second facesheet defining a plurality of second holes therethrough,

the first and second holes being in substantially aligned communication with the passages extending through the core, thereby forming a plurality of continuous channels through the structure, wherein the ratio of the cross-sectional area of the plurality of the first holes and the second holes, respectively, to the predetermined facial area of the first facesheet and the second facesheet, respectively, is in the range of 11.5% to 51%, so as to reduce acoustically induced vibration of the structure over the sound frequency range of from about 20 Hz to about 500 Hz.

2. The structure of claim 1, wherein the first and the second facesheets are comprised of a polymer matrix fiber reinforced composite material.

3. The structure of claim 1, wherein the first facesheet includes a pair of opposed first faces and the second facesheet includes a pair of opposed second faces, the ratio of the total cross-sectional area of the first holes and the second holes, respectively, to the area of each of the first faces and each of the second faces, respectively, is less than about 0.5.

4. A low vibroacoustic panel, comprising:

(a) a core including a first surface, a second surface opposite the first surface, and a honeycomb structure disposed between the first and second surfaces, said honeycomb structure forming a series of passages through the core and extending through the first and second surfaces;

(b) a first facesheet on the first surface of the core having a predetermined facial area on the first facesheet being comprised of a polymer matrix fiver reinforced composite material and defining a plurality of first holes therethrough,

(c) a second facesheet on the second surface of the core having a predetermined facial area on the second facesheet being comprised of a polymer matrix fiber reinforced composite material and defining a plurality of second holes therethrough, the first and second holes being in substantially aligned communication with the passages extending through the core, thereby forming a plurality of continuous channels through the panel wherein the ratio of the plurality of the first holes and the second holes, respectively, to the predetermined facial area of the first facesheet and the second facesheet, respectively, in the range of less than 51%, so as to reduce acoustically induced vibration of the panel.

5. The panel of claim 4, wherein the first and second holes have (i) a diameter of from about 0.001 in. to about 0.2 in., and (ii) an on-center spacing of from about 0.007 in. to about 0.5 in.

6. The panel of claim 4, wherein the first and second facesheets each have a thickness of from about 0.025 in. to about 0.125 in.

7. The panel of claim 4, wherein the core comprises aluminum honeycomb sheet and the first and second sheets are comprised of epoxy graphite composite.

8. A low vibroacoustic panel, comprising:

(a) a first facesheet including a first inlet face, a first outlet face, and a plurality of first holes extending through the first facesheet between the first inlet face and the first outlet face, the first facesheet being formed of a polymer matrix fiber reinforced composite material;

(b) a honeycomb sheet including a plurality of cells each having an inlet end in abutting contact with the first outlet face and an outlet end, the cells each defining a passage through the honeycomb sheet; and

(c) a second facesheet including a second inlet face in abutting contact with the outlet end of the cells, a second outlet face, and a plurality of second holes extending through the second facesheet between the second inlet face and the second outlet face, the second facesheet being formed of a polymer matrix fiber reinforced composite material;

wherein, the ratio of the total cross-sectional area of the first holes and the second holes, respectively, to the area of the first inlet face and the second inlet face, respectively, is less than about 0.5 and the first and second holes are in substantially aligned communication with the passages, thereby forming a plurality of continuous channels through the panel, the channels reducing acoustically induced vibration of the panel over the sound frequency range of from about 20 Hz to about 500 Hz.

9. The panel of claim 8, wherein the first and second holes have (i) a diameter of from about 0.001 in. to about 0.2 in., and (ii) an on-center spacing of from about 0.007 in. to about 0.5 in.

10. The panel of claim 8, wherein the first and second facesheets each have a thickness of from about 0.025 in. to about 0.125 in.

11. The panel of claim 8, wherein the honeycomb sheet is comprised of aluminum and the first and second facesheets are comprised of graphite fiber reinforced plastic composite.

12. A spacecraft bus assembly, comprising:

a low vibroacoustic structure, comprising;

(a) a core including a first surface, a second surface opposite the first surface, and a plurality of passages extending through the core between the first surface and the second surface;

(b) a first facesheet having a predetermined facial area on the first surface of the core, the first facesheet defining a plurality of first holes therethrough; and

(c) a second facesheet having a predetermined facial area on the second surface of the core, the second facesheet defining a plurality of second holes therethrough;

wherein, the first and second holes being in substantially aligned communication with the passages, thereby forming a plurality of continuous channels through the panel wherein the ratio of the plurality of the first holes and the second holes, respectively, to the predetermined facial area of the first facesheet and the second facesheet, respectively, is in the range of less than 51%, so as to reduce acoustically induced vibration of the spacecraft bus over the sound frequency range of from about 20 Hz to about 500 Hz.

13. The spacecraft bus assembly of claim 12, wherein the first and second facesheets are comprised of a polymer matrix fiber reinforced composite material.

14. The spacecraft bus assembly of claim 12, wherein the first and second facesheets are comprised of a fiber reinforced plastic composite material and the core is comprised of a honeycomb sheet.

15. The spacecraft bus assembly of claim 14, wherein the first and second holes have (i) a diameter of from about 0.001 in. to about 0.2 in., and (ii) an on-center spacing of from about 0.187 in. to about 0.5 in.

16. The spacecraft bus assembly of claim 12, wherein the low vibroacoustic structure comprises at least one equipment compartment panel.

17. The spacecraft bus assembly of claim 12, wherein the low vibroacoustic structure comprises the frame of the spacecraft bus.

18. A method of reducing acoustically induced vibration of a spacecraft bus during launch, the method comprising:

forming at least a portion of the spacecraft bus from at least one low vibroacoustic panel, each panel comprising;

(a) a core including a first surface, a second surface opposite the first surface, and a plurality of passages extending through the core between the first surface and the second surface;

(b) a first facesheet having a predetermined facial area on the first surface of the core, the first facesheet defining a plurality of first holes therethrough; and

(c) a second facesheet having a predetermined facial area on the second surface of the core, the second facesheet defining a plurality of second holes therethrough, the first and second holes being in substantially aligned communication with the passages extending through the core, forming a plurality of continuous channels through the panel wherein the ratio of the plurality of the first holes and the second holes, respectively, to the predetermined facial area of the first facesheet and the second facesheet, respectively, is in the range of 11.5% to 51%, the channels reducing acoustically induced vibration of the spacecraft bus during launch over the sound frequency range of from about 20 Hz to about 500 Hz.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of mounting at least one electronic component to the panel.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the spacecraft bus comprises a frame and the step of forming comprises attaching a plurality of the low vibroacoustic panels to the frame.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the first and second facesheets are comprised of a polymer matrix fiber reinforced composite material and the core is comprised of a honeycomb sheet.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the first and second holes have (i) a diameter of from about 0.001 in. to about 0.2 in., and (ii) an on-center spacing of from about 0.007 in. to about 0.5 in.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the first facesheet includes a pair of opposed first faces and the second facesheet includes a pair of opposed second faces, the ratio of the total cross-sectional area of the first holes and the second holes, respectively, to the area of each of the first faces and each of the second faces, respectively, is less than about 0.5.

24. A method of reducing acoustically induced vibration of a structure subjected to an acoustic environment, the method comprising:

(a) providing a structure; and

(b) attaching at least one low vibroacoustic panel to the structure, each panel comprising;

(i) a core including a first surface, a second surface opposite the first surface, and a plurality of passages extending through the core between the first surface and the second surface;

(ii) a first facesheet having a predetermined facial area on the first surface of the core, the first facesheet defining a plurality of first holes therethrough; and

(iii) a second facesheet having a predetermined facial area on the second surface of the core, the second facesheet defining a plurality of second holes therethrough;

the first and second holes being in substantially aligned communication with the passages, thereby forming a plurality of continuous flow channels through the panel wherein the ratio of the plurality of the first holes and the second holes, respectively, to the predetermined facial rea of the first facesheet and the second facesheet, respectively, is in the range of less than 51%, so as to reduce acoustically induced vibration of the structure when subjected to the acoustic environment.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the structure comprises a spacecraft bus of a spacecraft and the panel reduces acoustically induced vibration of the spacecraft bus during launch of the spacecraft.